The Intel Core i7 2600K is the company’s top tier Sandy Bridge processor; or at least it was until now. CPU World discovered interesting part numbers on the company’s Material Declaration Data Sheet (MDDS) that suggests that there may be a new contender for the top spot. Specifically, the new part numbers are BX80623172700K and BXC80623172700K, which suggests that the new processor will be launched as the Intel Core i7 2700K.

CPU World's discovery of new part numbers.

The site suggests that the new 2700K will be a higher clocked version of the 2600K processor, including a 95 watt TDP, four cores, hyperthreading technology, and 8 MB of cache. Unfortunately, it is not clear just how much higher the 2700K will be clocked at; however, as an unlocked processor with relatively good binning, enthusiasts should be able to get some great overclocks out of them.

Have you upgraded to Sandy Bridge, or are you planning on skipping over it for another upgrade instead? Either way, I think it is a good thing to see Intel updating its current lineup while also pursuing Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge-E.